**Please note: I will not be considering accepting new PhD student advisees to begin Fall 2021 (applying in Fall 2020).**

Undergraduates interested in working in the FAD Lab can fill out an application (for PSY 394 credit) at any time -- see link to the left. Interviews are invited mid-semester in the Spring for the following academic year. Undergraduates interested in pursuing an honors thesis (PSY 495 / 496) with the FAD Lab in their senior year should discuss the possibility with me no later than 2nd semester of their junior year.

In directing the FAD Lab (Families, Adoption, and Diversity) here at UK as part of the Developmental Psychology area, I conduct mixed method (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) research related to diverse family systems and issues of adoption through the lenses of Developmental and Community Psychology, with particular interest in child development, parenting, family functioning, and intersectionality of identities. I primarily study adoptive families and families headed by LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) parents. I'm also interested in how issues of race (e.g., transracial adoption), gender, and birth family contact are relevant in adoptive families. Given the intersections of this area of research with public policy, practice, and law, it is exciting that some of our findings have been influential in media circles, public debates, and legal and policy domains. See some of the publications, media mentions, and amicus briefs citations via the tabs on the left for more information!

We have several key research projects currently ongoing, as well as others not listed here! See some of our publications from these and other projects on tab on left.

1. The Contemporary Adoptive Families Study (CAFS): For over 13 years, I have been conducting a longitudinal study of adoptive families headed by lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents. We have data collected from two time points: when children were preschoolers, as well as when they were in middle childhood (elementary school-age). We plan to follow up with families very soon as children are now in adolescence!

2. Stories & Experiences of LGBTQ+ Families from Youth (SELFY): We are currently collecting mixed method data from racially and socioeconomically diverse adolescents (especially those who live in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West) with LGBTQ+ parents about their intersectional experiences of identity (e.g., race, class, adoption, parents’ sexual orientation) and discrimination. We are exploring feelings about relationships with family and friends, as well as positive identity development, coping behaviors, and perceptions of community and support resources. Soon, we will be expanding this project to include the perspectives of both the adolescents with LGBTQ+ parents and the LGBTQ+ parents themselves (i.e., the Q-PAL project, or Queer Parent and Adolescent Lives). Stay tuned!

3.The Birth Family Project: We recently conducted a study regarding the experiences and well-being of birth family members connected to adoptive families (who may or may not have current contact with other another). As research has often focused on the perspectives of individuals who are adopted and their adoptive parents, it is so important to hear the stories of birth parents and birth relatives! We finished data collection (interviews and surveys) and are now working on analyses.

4.Children's Attitudes about Diversity (CAD) Project: In collaboration with Dr. Christia Brown (Psychology, UK) and Dr. Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi (Psychology, UVA), we are exploring elementary school-age children’s attitudes about diverse families, such as those formed through adoption, with same-sex parents, and who are multiracial.